SAN ANTONIO — As the weather gets nicer, more and more tourists will be visiting our city, so $hopSpy recommends checking out the great family-friendly activities that are located downtown sooner rather than later.

Most people know to visit the Alamo and Tower of the Americas, but there are other great stops for kids and families — all within walking distance of each other.

If you have time, kids would love to visit the Disney store at Rivercenter mall. You'll find family-friendly dining at Rainforest Café, 110 E. Crockett, on the River Walk.

Magik Theatre, 420 S. Alamo, is celebrating 20 years of entertainment and is a treat for kids young and old. Our family recently saw “Llama Llama,” and it was amazing how the actors and stories kept even little kids in their seats for the approximate one-hour show.

It also has a small shop to purchase Magik Theatre T-shirts and merchandise from the current show. In addition to weekday and weekend shows, it offers a weekend program called Acting and Creativity Academy as well as summer camps for ages 3-17.

The Magik on the Road program can take the act to schools or even to private parties, as well as the free Shakespeare in the Park, held at the San Antonio Botanical Garden.

Good to know: Attire is casual and at Friday night and Saturday performances only, a concession stand offers popcorn, soda and candy for $3 or less and free parking is available at the SAISD lot down the street.

Downtown All-Around Playground, 200 S. Alamo St. Stop by here before or after the show. It is next to Magik Theatre and is a great spot for kids to run off energy before or after the show.

The playground is for ages 5-12. When $hopSpy stopped by on a Tuesday, younger kids were running up and down ramps and playing on the slides with their parents and caretakers.

The side facing away from Magik Theatre has four swings, two of which are for toddlers. You'll find a few picnic tables around the playground, including two that are covered, for picnics or snacks.

Amazing Mirror Maze, 217 Alamo Plaza, is across the street from the Alamo. It is 2,100-square feet and features revolving mirrors and changing lights. It takes 20-30 minutes to get through, if you don't get too lost.

After you've gone through it once, you're encouraged to try again wearing 3D glasses. You can pay extra to go to the Laser Vault Challenge as well.

At the entrance to both you'll find River Sweets Candy where you can select candy and pay by the weight. The price is $2.79 per quarter-pound and includes favorites such as Sour Patch, gummies (spider, neon alligators, bananas, jumbo snakes, cherries, butterflies, centipedes, Life Savers and alphabet letters), jawbreakers, choco rocks, lots of chocolate-covered items and many flavors of taffy.

The San Antonio Children's Museum, 305 E. Houston St., is a short walk from the Alamo. It has three floors of activities for children, mostly up to age 6. The lower level features an H-E-B Kids' Market (kids love this!), Imagination Playground, Bubble Ranch and an art pavilion.

The street level offers Science City (where quick experiments can take place), Powerball Hall (all about gravity), Kiddie Corral, Tot Spot (an enclosed area for the smaller visitors) and Good Cents Bank.

The upper level offers a Victorian Parlor (house) and Runway #9 (plane) for kids to run through, as well as a spot for reading adventures. There are daily, weekly and monthly activities for kids up to 10 years old, with Investigation Station a popular class for kids 6-10. It is also a great spot for birthday parties. Be sure to check out the summer camps for two age groups (4-6 and 7-10) that change weekly.

Annual memberships cost $65 for a family of 6. H-E-B also sponsors a free Family Night on the third Tuesday of each month.

Jennifer Rodriguez is a local freelance writer/researcher who loves to shop in her spare time. $hopSpy can be reached at thebizwriter@gmail.com.